Pros

In the Twilight Books, Edward is very appealing. He’s old-fashioned and in many ways very conventional in everything from his speech to his views on sex and marriage. Add on to that the fact that he drinks animal blood not human, and you have a reserved, almost trustworthy vampire. “There’s something very romantic and safe about Edward,” says Gutsche. “The relief from overt sex and violence found in many other vampire stories, coupled with the intensity, frustration, the promise of a future life together — maybe it’s the restraint that’s sexy.”

In the long line of vampire stories and myths that come before Twilight, vampires often show extreme levels of commitment, says Gutsche. They’re faithful and protective of the individuals to whom they are devoted. An example? Despite her death, and consequent reincarnations, in Francis Ford Coppola's movie version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the vampire's commitment to his wife lasts for more than 500 years and even leads him to declare war on God. Need more proof? In European folklore, the desire to continue with love even after death was underlined by the idea that a vampire's victims were often those people he loved  most in life.

“If you’re looking to be desired, a vampire is hands down the way to go,” says Gutsche. “He’s not going to be distracted by the food on the table, the game on the television, or problems at his day job. In many ways, he will spend the whole night drinking you in.”

Cons

Vampires are reanimated corpses that derive sustenance from blood, notes Gutsche. So there is a large "ick" factor in dating the undead. Also, they’ll live forever in roughly the same condition in which they died, while you will age, gain weight, and get pimples.

While vampires don't age, they're far from perfect. Vampires In Slavic stories were often associated with infection, disease, and plague. And the traditional vampire was far from the sexy beings portrayed by Hollywood today. These old-school bloodsuckers were foul, ugly, and often very poor, and they smelled of death and decay. “You would not want these guys sitting across from you at the table,” says Gutsche.

Werewolves

Pros

For women who want a good boy and a bad boy in the same package, a werewolf is the perfect date. You get the sweet, everyday guy next door--someone you could take on a picnic, then home to meet the folks. But if a full moon or magic word unleashes the beast within, then you'd have a dangerous and unrelenting date with seemingly endless appetites. “Talk about unbridled animal lust,” says Gutsche.

Cons

In essence werewolves suffer from a split personality, says Gutsche—and when the dark side emerges from beneath the pleasant exterior, you may end up feeling like you’ve been lied to.

Old newspapers often tied serial murder cases to werewolves. It was thought that the person behind the depravity had to be able to function normally in daily life, but occasionally was taken over by pure unrestrained evil, the kind of which could only be attributed to something nonhuman, says Gutsche.

“Many of our Jekyll and Hyde type stories, the stories of split personalities and transformations are an extension of the werewolf myth,” says Gutsche.

This two-sided unpredictable nature, coupled with the physical change of moving from buff, handsome human to hairy uncontrollable wolf may be a little much for even the most understanding of women to handle. And mom and dad are unlikely to approve of the relationship.

“Plus, you really can’t take a big hairy wolf to dinner,” adds Gutsche. “And even if you do manage to get him to the table, he’s very likely to just curl up and take a nap after eating.”

And the Best Prom Date Would Be...

When it comes down to it, Gutsche says, there’s really no contest. “Hands down a vampire would be the better date.”

The two main reasons: You know what you’re getting into, and there is no doubt that for at least one evening you will be the one thing that makes his life worth living.

-Aimee Brown

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